News Ticker: My Chemical Romance, Diane von Furstenberg, Record Store Day, Gang Starr

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• My Chemical Romance have officially split with drummer Bob Bryar, writing on their official website, "This was a painful decision for all of us to make and was not taken lightly. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors and expect you all to do the same."

• Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg has assembled a compilation called Proud to Be Woman which benefits women's empowerment group Vital Voices. Mary J. Blige, Santigold, Christina Aguilera and more stars appear on the disc, which will be released in DVF stores and on DVF.com starting March 8th.

• EMI is releasing special John Lennon and Sex Pistols vinyl for record store day. The Lennon "Singles Bag" will include three 45 RPM singles with replicated original artwork for "Mother," "Imagine" and "Watching the Wheels"; a limited-edition The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle will arrive as a 180 gram double LP.

• Gang Starr's Guru has emerged from a coma following heart surgery, and issued a statement to AllHipHop that reads, "I am doing fine and I am recovering! I'm weak though."

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  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
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  MOVIES 'This Is the End' Brings the Goods
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  TV The Women of 'Mad Men'
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  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

More Song Stories entries »

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